Why this word is great
SIBILATION — [Noun] A hissing sound, particularly one produced by speech or deliberate articulation. From Latin sībilātiō, from sībilāre ("to hiss"). Unlike "hiss" (a general term for a sharp, prolonged sound like escaping steam) or "whisper" (a soft, hushed vocal sound without the hissing quality), sibilation is the serpentine curl of consonants through teeth, the friction of breath against tongue. It is the librarian’s shushing finger to lips, the hissed admonition of a secret too dangerous to speak aloud, or the slow leak of a tire deflating into silence—the sound of restraint, of something held back but never quite contained.